Starting Now

“Ready?” Harry asks, stepping back into the bedroom. He had slipped away earlier to his home office while I got ready. 

“Noooo,”I draw out the word, looking up at him. I’ve laid my two tops on the bed, debating between them. I only packed dark jeans. Is that fancy enough to meet Will and Kate? But, I should probably look at it as if I’m just meeting his brother. Obviously, it’s stressful. This is the kind of thing Gabby is great at but she’d freak, I’m not telling her about this before hand.

“Annie. You are an over-thinker.” He grins, pointing at me. 

“Love me, anywaysss!” I sing, pointing back at him. Twisting then, I stare back down at the clothes. “Which is better - polka dots or plaid? Fair warning, this choice effects my shoe choice.” 

“Oh my,” Harry sighs, walking towards me.  

---------------------

“Coffee?” Roman, one of Harry’s security officers, holds up the cup. 

“Yes, please!” I say, taking the cup before getting in the car, “Thank you!”

And we head off. Harry holds my hand across the seats, his thumb moving up and down. 

___________

“Uncle Harry!” George comes bounding towards us once Harry shouts out that we’ve arrived. 

“Hey kid!” Harry shouts back, tossing him into the air. Will comes stepping around the corner.

“Hey, brother,” Will says, stepping towards us. Harry slides George onto his hip and pulls Will into a hug. 

“How are you?”

“Good, really good.” They both have large smiles.

“This is Annie,” Harry says, his hand finding the curve of my back.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Will continues the introduction, holding out his hand. We shake as I nod, “You as well.” 

“Oh! Did you see that last rugby match?” Harry announces, stealing back the focus. The brothers talk fast as they review the game. 

After a moment, I turn to George and whisper, “I heard you have a huge train set!”

His eyes widen with excitement and he nods. Then almost as if an after thought, “Want to see it?!”

 This time I nod. In response, he squirms against Harry’s hold. “Uncle Harry. I have to go play.”

Harry looses his grip and George slides down to the ground. The two brothers are still chatting about the game, now planning predictions for the next. George takes a few steps away before turning and waving me to follow. 

I follow after him. And the train set is awesome. It has it’s own table - one that has an allows you to walk through on section to stand in the middle - but all each track piece can be moved and a new track built. 

“I have a a mail track, that is a circus, oh and look this goes over a lake.” George starting, point at the various pieces. 

“Can I play?” 

“Be the green one,” He says, handing me the train. We spend the next twenty minutes moving our trains around the track. 

--------

“Ay, kids!” Harry leans into the room, holding the door frame, “Lunch time.”

I smile over at him while George gets up and runs out of the room. 

Harry grins back, “Getting on the kid’s good side?” 

I shrug, “Using him to play with the train set...have you seen this thing?”

Harry laughs, pulling me into a sideways hug. And leads us towards the dinning room.

“Hi!” Kate runs over, pulling me into a hug. “I’m Kate”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you!” 

“Please have a seat,” Each plate is already laid out with food - chicken salad sandwich, veggies, and fruit salad with a bowl of pretzels in the middle of the table. 

We settle in - Harry sharing a story from his last trip - while the rest of us start eating. Kate is sitting beside Charlotte's highchair, cutting up bites. 

“So, Annie you grew up in America?” Will asks.

“Yeah in Maine. I have four older siblings that stuck close to that area.”

“Wow, so big family. Do you have any nieces or nephews running around yet?”

“Not yet. We keep thinking Adam will get engaged. But not yet.” 

“Harry was telling me about the work you do. Sounds incredible. Maybe we’ll have to schedule a play date?”

“Yeah, that’d be great!” I smile back. “The kids would absolute love that.”

“How many are under your care?”

“Five live in the house,” I answer and Harry continues to tell about the time Rosie drew marker “tattoos” on Felix’s arm. 

“Oh, she was so mad! Not about getting in trouble but because the marker  washed away.” I add in.

“It was a tearful mess” Harry recalls, shifting the conversation by asking Will a question about an old friend. Easily conversation continues throughout the rest of the meal as we jump around subjects. 

Afterwards, we move to the living room to spend sometime relaxing and playing with the kids. But once nap time hits, Harry takes my hand and pulls me from my seat on the floor. 

“Best of luck, parents!” He grins, saying goodbye to each of them. 

-----

“I’d say that went well,” Harry whispers, our linked arms swinging as we walk back to the car. 

“You think?” I ask, glancing over at him.

He nods before looking over at me with a raised eyebrow, “It’s only a plus if it did - I’m keeping you.”

-----

“Where are we headed?” I lean over and ask. We’ve been in the car for twenty minutes and the whole scenery seems unfamiliar. 

“We are going to the movies,” Harry replies, placing his free hand on my knee. 

After ten more minutes, we pull into an empty parking lot. “I kind of pulled a favor,”

“And?” I ask as we walk towards the building.

“Got the place empty,” He whispers, turning to me with a grin.

“Impressive,” I say back, pulling open the door. One single worker stands behind the counter. The place is empty and eerily silent. Harry moves forward to shake his hand and he leads us to the theater. 

The room is empty, of course. But somehow it still catches me by surprise. All the seats open. Harry thanks the worker and the door swing shuts. He places his hands on my hips, whispering into my ear. “Where shall we sit?”

I laugh, turning around to look at him. “What are we watching?”

“Well,” He grins, “From my research, I’d say it stars a leading man who got a career jump as a romance leading man. And there will be singing.”

“No way!” Both my hands move to cover my mouth. La La Land. “I so want to see that! How did you know?” 

“Annie.” He grins, “You sing show tunes. And I already know of three occasions where you’ve watched The Music Man.”

“You. Are. The. Best!” I exclaim, spinning around. He laughs, pulling me back towards him and stealing a kiss. 

“This day has been great!” I say, all giddy.

“Dare I say, it has been lovely.” He adds, lifting his eyebrows. 

“Oh Ha Ha, so lovely.” I wrinkle my nose at him causing his smile to grow.

“Lets go, lady! You have seats to pick. And a movie to watch.”

I kiss him, wrapping my arms around him. “Thank you. This is perfect.” And then I pull way, taking his hand as I spit out all the buzz I’ve been hearing about this movie. And the past musicals it relates to. And the one time we’ve seen Ryan Gosling sing. 

“Annie,” He rolls over to look at me, his voice deep from sleep.

“Sorry,’ I mumble, looking over at him. He is finally awake, hair ruffled all over the place and tired eyes. I pull my phone away, forcing away the laughter of Leonardo DiCaprio with a Wisconsin accent. 

“What was funny?” He asks, stoking my hair. 

“Just a video…they gave Leonardo DiCaprio a Wisconsin accent..”  

“Oh, American humor,” He mutters, wrinkling his nose. 

“Ha. Ha.” I reply, sinking back into the bed. Harry laughs,a real laugh, and pulls me into him. 

“Four questions for you. Four questions for me.” Harry whispers. I nod, the idea taking me back to our first day. And now we are here. 

“Okay, but I’m going first,” I say, flopping around so I can see him. He drapes his arm across my waist. I trace his beard, considering what I want to ask.

“Back and forth,” Harry bargains, tapping my nose. 

“What is…your favorite part about being a Prince?” I ask, watching his eyes.

“Um….I like the ability to help with things I’m passionate about. Bring awareness to mental health, support through sports. That is the best part.”

“And dear Annie, have you told your parents about us yet?” 

I feel myself blush with the question. “No,” I mutter, covering my face. “Not yet.” He waits, not filling the silence. “It is just going to be a big deal. And I don’t want it to ruin anything. It has nothing to do with you. I promise. It is completely me. And that is probably selfish of me.”

“But you will, right?” He asks, his hand now tracing my cheek. 

“Yes, I will. Soon. Very soon.”

“Cause we are official, baby!” He rather shouts in an American accent. I giggle, caught by surprise. “Official,” Harry repeats with a wink. 

I laugh again. He pulls me closer, stealing a kiss.

“My question,” I state, our foreheads resting against each other, “In ten years, what do you see?”

“Risky,” He grins, pull away to look at me. “In ten years…I want to still be heading up the Invictus games. Married, maybe a few kids running around. A yearly vacation to Africa. And you?”

“I want…to have a cute yellow house, a husband, kids, a dalmatian. Freelance event planner….ugh, I’ll be 34.”

“Ugh, I’ll be 42,” He mimics. 

“Hello, age difference. I hadn’t really given that a thought.” I share, wrapping our hands together. 

“Me either. You are way too mature for 24.”

“I have a weak spot for responsibility.” I add, crinkling my nose. 

“And bread. And sappy movies.” 

“Shut up!” I give him a light shove. “What are you weak spots?”

“I….try to protect everyone. And alcohol. And cheesecake.”

“Really? Cheesecake?”

“I know your brownie love can’t even comprehend it.” He grins and I smile back. This morning, a slow morning together in bed, is something I would love every day. 

“Did we move to fast?” Harry asks, breaking the silence. He’s got big eyes, his voice deep with the serious question. “For you?”

“No…no. I don’t think that. I was nervous. But not an unsure nervous. Just nervous. But I’m glad. Glad about this. About us.”

“I am too,” He adds, leaning in and kissing my forehead. 

“Will we ever have breakfast?” I ask, mumbling the question out through my hands. My stomach has be rumbling for awhile. But this moment, this togetherness, is so worth treasuring. 

Harry laughs, “Yes, cereal. And we will have it.” 

“But,” He pulls me closer, “I have my last question.”

“And?” I rest my head against his chest.

“Last night, you rambled all these things. Something about Charlie. And your boss?”

“Oh,” I sigh, the mood darkening. “Charlie’s mom is in the works to get custody of him. But she’s unstable, and not a good mom. She can’t handle that. So I’m trying to fight the system.” Harry’s stroking my hair. “And my boss sent me an email. It was after the article of us ran. So it is freaking me out.”

“Annie, you are great. Nothing is going to change that. You are excellent with the kids, at managing that household. You care, you embrace their imaginations, and teach them.”

“…Thank you. I’m probably overthinking it.” 

“You are. Another weak spot of Annie Maxwell’s. And now, we may have cereal.”

Woah, that's a lot of words. I'm not even sure how this happened. Thanks for sticking around thus far!

Catch up here - http://startingnow-phff.tumblr.com/chapters

__________

A bang at the door makes my eyes fly open. My heart is racing as I try to recall where I am. The living room suddenly seems so huge as a loud knock happens again. 

“Annie,” Harry shouts but keeps his voice low. I twist to look back in his direction. He’s standing in his doorway, waving at me to come to him. I get up quickly, jogging towards him. What is going on?

Before I can ask a question, he pulls me into a hug. His phone is against his ear and I can hear the voice on the other end - “Alright, I’m looking into it. Give me a moment.”

I pull back to see his face. What is happening? 

“Are you okay?” He asks, his eyes searching my face. He seems jumpy, nervous. I nod, unable to use my voice. He mumbles into his phone while I lean against the wall, his hand running up and down my arm. 

“Okay.....um, huh....alright. Well thank you.” Harry says, hanging up the phone. “Apparently, it is one of my security guys.” With a deep sigh, he moves and walks towards the door. I hang back, taking only a few steps into the living room. 

I can’t hear their conversation but Harry is given an envelope. Then he shuts the door. Walking back towards me, he stops awkwardly.

“Sorry about that,” He runs his fingers through his hair, “It honestly has never happened before.”

I nod, the house seem suddenly so quiet. My heart as slowed but I can just sense another jump scare coming. 

“What can I do?” He says after a moment, my silence making him shift between stepping forward and staying put. “Annie?”

“Yeah?” I look up, finally. 

“Are you okay?” He asks again, taking a step forward.

“...Yeah. It just...scared me. And you’re-” A sob breaks through and the tears start to flow before I even realize they were coming. Harry strides towards me, his arms wrap around me. I press my face into his shoulder, his cotton shirt catching my tears. 

I’m not even sure why I’m crying. And now I’m embarrassed. And this is definitely to most emotional I’ve been yet. 

The tears slow and come to a stop. But I don’t move. He holds me tightly, one hand stroking my hair. 

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, mostly into his tshirt.

“No, don’t be.” He keeps his voice low, giving my head a kiss. 

“That was quite the wake up. And the scare. And I don’t want this weekend to be ruined. And Charlie might be taken away. I forgot my Dad’s birthday. And my boss is doing a home inspection on Tuesday. And you can’t get hurt,” The tears start up again but I blink them away. 

“Okay,” He pulls back, meeting my eyes. He has a small smile, his eyes almost somehow a brighter blue. “I’m okay. You’re okay.” He pauses, tucking my hair behind my ear. 

I look at him, taking a deep breath. I can see so much with him. A future of love. A future of togetherness. Laughter. Joy. If I let me mind run, a white dress and kids. The thought of sharing a home with him, building a home with him, makes my heart swell. I find those thoughts so scary. Because I can’t get too attached. 

But when he looks at me, his eyes staring down at me. I’m all he sees. His focus, attention, love all on me. 

“Can we go back to bed?” 

He nods, tilting his head in confusion for a moment. “Yeah, um. I re-locked the door. And the incident shouldn’t happen again.”

I shake my head, grabbing his hand as I step away. I lead us back down the hallway, stopping in his doorway. He looks at me with a mixture bewilderment and sureness. 

“No,” I say to my sister, Gabby. I’m knocking down her idea of flying out here, her idea to call Harry, and her idea to tell Mom and Dad. 

“No,” I repeat, turning down her idea for Harry and I to fly back to the states. 

“Annie.” Her voice is serious, the one she uses at work. “I have to meet him.”

“You’ve been dating Derek for how long? And no one has met him,” I say, pulling open the dishwasher. 

‘That’s different”

“Oh, please. He has a key to your house. You pretty much share a dog. Yet it’s been what? Three years and no one has met him.”

“Derek is an accountant. He gets excited about tax time. Prince Harry is a prince!”

“Right,” I laugh, the kitchen nearly clean, “You and Derek fly out here for a double date and you can meet him.”

Her anger keeps her from laughing at the comment. Instead, she turns to complaining about her newest co-worker. The conversation shifts around as we bounce back and forth. I don’t regret telling her. Secrets were never part of our family, well at least...between me and Gabby. I just want the pressure to disappear. The pressure to tell more people and the giddy way she tries to convince me to let them meet. And for her just to be a sister. Someone to help me pick out an outfit, or decode a text, and help me navigate this semi-new dating world. 

-------

“Annnnnniiiieee!” Harry shouts out. The kitchen timer is beeping, I’ve left the veggies half chopped, and he is in charge of stirring the sauce. 

“You are fine,” I mouth back at him, stepping further into the living room. The voice on the other end is telling me about the several steps I could take for Charlie. “Okay, so I have to start with the paperwork?”

Her answers gets drowned out as Harry shouts out again. “You are a halfway point. A hope that he will be able to return to his biological parents. So to fight the system, yes. You have to start with the paperwork.”

“Right,” I sigh, having gotten the expected answer. Paperwork never seems to get anywhere. It doesn’t help change the situation. At the end of the month, Charlie will go live with his mother. A mother who can’t handle the responsibilities of her own life, let alone a child. 

I take a moment after hanging up to focus back on the night. I can fill out the paperwork in the morning. I can get that ball rolling at a snail’s pace. But tonight is the first night we have both have free in weeks. 

“Coming!” I call out, dropping my phone onto a nearby chair. 

“I think, I think I fixed it.” He says, glancing between me and the saucepan. 

“You just had to stir it...” I suspiciously eye the red sauce.

He’s face turns a shade of pink, “Ohhh....well. I add some of this. And this. And a pinch of this.” He holds up spice bottles - nutmeg, salt, and chopped onions. 

“Um. Well great.” I laugh, placing the spices far away. Dinner may very well be a flop. Cooking a meal together may not be a thing we can share. “Just stir it, please.” I laugh, taking a sip of wine. 

Silence falls between us as I finish cutting the peppers. A lovely smell has started to fill the house. “I told Will.”

“Told Will what?”

“You. About you.”

“I thought he knew. Didn’t he say you could finally babysit since you had me to bring along?”

“Yeah, he knew. But I told him I want you to meet.”

“Oh, okay.” I push the veggies off the cutting board and into the saucepan. 

“So tomorrow...we’ll go over for lunch.”

“Tomorrow,” I nod, dropping the dishes off at the sink. I’m definitely going to call Gabby to help me with my outfit. Can I wear jeans? 

“That’s okay, isn’t?” Hesitation is in his voice. “I’m supposed to plan the weekend but if it is too much. Or you aren’t ready. Maybe we aren’t there. That’s fine. It was just a thought.”

“Oh, no, no, no” I quickly state, spinning to see him. “I want to. I want to meet your family. It just freaks me out a bit.” I laugh, “I was worried about what to wear.”

--------------

The clock chimes out to share that it is midnight. Harry walks back in the living room with an armful of blankets.

“I can take the couch,” He starts again and I cut him off. 

“It’s fine. You haven’t had your bed in weeks. I’ll be fine on the couch.” He’s been traveling so much - our relationship has survived on texting and late phone calls. I had to cash in some vacation time so finally, a whole weekend - technically a long weekend, 3 whole days - is ours. 

“Oookayy.” He drops the load, staring at me. His face is hard to read. I know he may have expected more, or even hoped for that. But I’m not there. I’m not ready. And I was clear about that from the start of the weekend planning. 

“You really can sleep with me. No pressure. No expectations.” He finally adds, an odd mixture of confidents and sheepishly. 

“I know,”I smile over at him, “I know. But this is good. This works for the night.” 

He nods after a moment. With a few steps, his arms wrap around my waist.

“Goodnight, Annie. In person.” He grins, eyes dancing. 

“Goodnight,” I whisper, leaning forward to kiss him. This day. Actual time with him only makes my heart run off further. I could so easily fall right into love. 

“I’ll see you in the morning. And in the afternoon. And in the evening. And the next morning. That whole day too.” He mumbles, his forehead resting against mine.

“It will be lovely.” 

“Lovely.” He laughs, “It will be lovely, dude.” My laughter joins his before he steals another kiss. 

“Goodnight,” He repeats, stepping away. I watch as he walks down the hallway towards his room. 

But now - Hello Christmas Break! 

And with that I’m hoping to continue the story! 

“Hey,” Harry calls out, the door slamming behind him.

“Hi,” I shout back, clean up the spilled milk in the dining room. The children react to his presence as well. It takes a moment for him to escape their attention.

“Hi,” He squats down to be at my level.

“Hi,” I nearly sigh, scooping up a wet dishcloth. 

“Annie, do you know what happened to-” Millie stops midsentence as she enters the doorway. “Harry, happy birthday!” 

“Thank you" Harry replies, tearing off a paper towel to hand to me.

“What!?” I say, stare at him. “It’s your birthday?”

“Yeah,” He shrugs, his eyebrows crinkling together. 

“Today? Right Now?” I try to clarify. I should of known this, somehow I should of known this. The whole country probably knows this while I, his girlfriend, had no idea. 

“Annie, it’s no big deal,” He shrugs again.

“It is your birthday!” I stress the words, standing up. “Were you going to tell me?”

“How would I tell you that?” He ask, a confused smile on his face.

“I don’t know, just say it. Hey, it’s my birthday. Hey, I bought a cake cause it’s my birthday. Hey, today is my birthday. Hey, tell me happy birthday. Hey, today was they day I was born. Hey, I’ve survived another year. Hey, let’s have cake cause my birthday is worth celebrating.” I say the possible scenarios as I take the dirty rag to the sink. He follows with the empty glass in hand.

 “Okay,” He laughs, stepping in while I take a breath, “Annie. Hey, tell me happy birthday.” I sigh then, my arms wrapping around him.

“Happy birthday,” I mumble, taking in his scent. 

“Thank you,” He whispers back, kissing my check before pulling away. “Now, I wanted to-”

“You have to go,” I say the words automatically as the idea forms in my head.

‘What?” His eyes go wide.

“Just, go. And come back. Come back in like two hours.” I say, the idea of a poorly planned, kid decorated, surprise party coming together.

“So I tell you it’s my birthday and you want me to leave?” He asks, walking backwards to the door. I’m holding onto his arms, still locked in a loose hug.

“Kinda, yeah..” I laugh, “Just come back in a few hours.”

“Okay,” He mumbles, leaning in for a kiss. He tilts his head as if studying me before opening the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” He laughs, the door closing behind him. 

“Kiddos!” I call and ask everyone to meet me in the living room. 

In a hectic struggle, I get things rolling. I write Happy Birthday on a long piece of paper and the older ones are coloring it. Millie pulled out the party book and is blowing up balloons. I’m rolling paper to make birthday hats. And with afternoon naps, I’m able to tidy up the house.

Just as Zoey starts to cry, the decorations are up. Not super impressive but better than nothing I suppose. Especially since I’m lacking a gift. 

As the other children start to wake, I check my phone. It is getting close to four hours. Four hours since he left. I debate calling him but then there is a knock at the door.

With Claire on my hip, I open the door to find Harry standing outside.

“You knocked?” I laugh, surprised.

“Felt it might be safer,” He shrugs, tickling Claire. 

“You can come in,” I step back, tugging at his sleeve. 

The sign is hanging across the room, balloons are tied to the furniture, and Rosie screams Happy Birthday. Charlie runs up to him, begging to be picked up before pointing towards the kitchen.

 Millie scoops out ice cream for the kids as they pour on the toppings. It creates a mess and sugar filled children but Harry grins the entire time. He pretends to steal Felix's bowl, eats whip cream out of the can, and all the children listen intently as he shows them how to mix the ice cream and toppings. 

 Thirty minutes later with the kitchen mess abandoned and the kids all pushed outside to play, Harry's arms wrap around my waist. "So you didn't know it was my birthday, huh?"

 "I'm so sorry," I spin to face him but he cuts off my apology.

 "Ann, it's okay. Truly. While the ice cream surprise was great, I didn't expect anything. You work nearly constantly and I've added more chaos to your life. I was plenty happy to just spend it with you" He stares down at me, his hands resting against my back. I can feel myself blush and knowing that I'm sure it's deepening.

 "Happy Birthday!" I whisper, pressing my lips against his cheek.